New Report Shows Opioid Settlement Amounts Vary Widely Across the Nation

A new report from KFF Health News shows for the first time how much local governments are receiving from opioid settlements, revealing large differences among localities.

The new report shows, for example, that Jefferson County, Kentucky, which includes Louisville, received $860,657.73, while Knox County, a rural Kentucky county in Appalachia, considered ground zero of the opioid crisis, received $45,395.33.

Companies that manufacture and distribute opioids are paying more than $54 billion to settle lawsuits related to their role in the opioid overdose crisis, but the firm administering the opioid settlement has not made the information public about the precise amounts each city or county is receiving.

Experts say making the data public is crucial, as solutions have to be community-led, but in order to do that, the communities need to know how much money they are getting. Knowing the yearly amount also allows people to track the funds and ensure they are not being misspent.